1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device and method for intraocular or intraorbital controlled release of pharmacological agents.
2. Description of the Related Art
A number of devices have been proposed which permit controlled release of pharmacological agents to various parts of the body and have facilitated dramatic advances in the medical field. Indeed, slow release of insulin from such devices can eliminate the need for repeated insulin injections in the case of a diabetic and the slow release of bactericides can minimize the likelihood of post-operative infection in other cases.
The controlled release of agents for intraocular or intraorbital use would allow optimized therapeutics for AIDS (CMV retinitis), for endophthalmitis (prevention of/cure of bacterial, viral or fungal infections), in proliferative diseases (such as proliferative vitreoretinopathy [PVR], lens epithelium proliferation (secondary cataract), for malignant intraocular tumors and other diseases. In addition, intraorbitally, such a technique would allow control of wound healing (e.g., reduction of scarred tissue volume in glaucoma filtration surgery, retinal detachment surgery (scleral buckling procedure), and strabismus surgery). However to date, devices for the controlled release of appropriate agents for intraocular or intraorbital use have not been developed.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a device for intraocular or intraorbital use which permits the controlled release or slow release of pharmacological agents.